She said: “It is frustrating, particularly as I won the first round, I won the first count, which was challenged, and I won the second count, which was then challenged, and then we started a third count, and then they suspended it.”

The Labour candidate explained it was not clear what had gone wrong at the count.

Returning officer Tony Redpath said counters were exhausted, saying: “At this stage staff had been up all night and were becoming visibly tired. In order to have confidence in its accuracy, the recount has been suspended to allow staff to rest and recuperate .

Ms Dent Coad said she was optimistic about the result, adding: “I am hopeful that we get proper representation at last, all our communities in Kensington, not just certain communities, everybody should be properly represented.”

One journalist had tipped the shock gain in the early hours of Friday morning, just hours after polling stations had closed.